EUROPEAN NEWS - FOREIGN AFFAIRS - ATANOSIAN QUESTION
IN THE BELLY OF THE BEASTAfter brutal and fierce fighting most of Caelux was conquered,"Ariete" has its revengeThe domain on the last Districts has been consolidated
European armored units in suburban areas, devastated by the fighting
After the destruction of the last lines of defense in the north boundaries of the districts 7 and 10,the Allied advance was unstoppable. The enemy,in a desperate retreat,harassed constantly by air strikes and artillery,pushed by an irrepressible offensive,weakened by the actions of the rebels,have been unable to organize new counterattacks: the goal was to flow in mass Caelux,and organize the ultimate defense attempt. During the escape,disorderly and uncoordinated,many enemy units lost their compactness,they disordered: the soldiers,unable to fight,have fled,abandoning weapons and uniforms,or have surrendered to Allies. Thanks to the brilliant maneuvers of European and Allied mechanized brigades,coordinated with the excellent work of the agile infantry and with local rebels,pivoting on total air support,several enemy divisions,during the reatreat,found themselves completely surrounded: in this case loyalist soldiers,rather than fighting and dying,have chosen the way of surrender. Only a part of the loyalist forces has managed to reach the Capitol,at the cost of heavy losses.
The last Districts were then conquered virtually without fight,as the resistance encountered was uncoordinated and sporadic,so easily countered. In fact the local population,weary of the brutality of the dictatorship,had already rebelled and organized itself in self-defense militias,and had defeated (destroyed or forced to surrender) loyalist forces. At this time control over the districts has been fully consolidated,Allied and European units have already been deployed to the usual operations of maintaining stability,and were launched massive humanitarian operations,reconstruction actions and restoration of infrastructure and public services. The contacts with the population and rebel militias have been further strengthened.
European units during fighting in residential areas
The fighting in the Capitol have been particularly brutal and violent,conducted with no holds barred,especially because of the deep meaning of what has become the largest urban battle in decades. The city,at this time,is in ruins, covered with skeletons of buildings destroyed, there are few buildings still standing: in fact, the structural damage is incalculable. For the defenders in fact it was the ultimate sacrifice,the last defense,a laudable act of courage that unfortunately is placed in the wrong side of history. For the attackers on the contrary,this confrontation has represented the final effort,the last bastion before the victory,before the end of the nightmare.
At this point we need a clarification about tactics and strategy of combat in urban and metropolitan areas. In these particular environments movements are hampered by strong three-dimensionality development of the battlefield,which hinders the lines of fire and limit the field of view. Constructions and buildings of various types are presented as excellent defensive points,while the alleys and streets can be easily mined by booby traps or blocked by barricades: it is an ideal environment for ambushes and for the action of snipers. Urban areas are particularly insidious and hated by the soldiers because the numerical and strategic superiority,and the advantage offered by mechanization,can be easily beaten by guerrilla tactics.
Moreover,this is not the first time that the Allies fight in urban areas (fights where enemies have always had the worst),but it is the first time that the battle takes place in a well fortified metropolitan zone. At this point, how Allied commands acted to liberate the city? First,European and Allied forces were reorganized into smaller and flexible units,equipped with specialized equipment for urban warfare,able to take advantage of mobility,speed and firepower at the same time. The layout of the city,especially thanks to the great work of intelligence that preceded the operations,has been carefully studied: then the territory has been divided into individual "operational areas",each of which have been identified key strategic objectives (as logistical points, large buildings,main infrastructural lines,enemy command centers ecc.),on the basis of which were processed very detailed plan of conquest,for each zone. Each zone has been assigned battalions and draw attention to specific territorial, and paying attention to balance the forces (ie the optimal combination of infantry, mechanized units, air units and artillery). The real operative pawn were companies,which had to advance along the main roads maintaining compactness. At the same time,worked fast and effective assault units and fireteams,with the task of freeing every single individual building,support the advanced of main companies,find traps in advance and thwart ambushes. Obviously key part of the strategy was close air support (particularly operated by C-130 gunships,A-10 Tunderbolt aircrafts,drones,and helicopters),with offensive and tactical tasks. Long rage air and artillery support has been widely used,but great care has been taken to avoid innocent victims (though virtually the entire population fled to the suburbs,and is being supported ad helped by humanitarian forces in first aid centers),combining extreme lethality and surgical precision.
European forces in Caelux
The assault teams have therefore had to make a grueling "cleaning work",fighting house to house,to free from enemies every alley,every floor,every single room. Assault fireteams were advancing through the structures,creating openings through the buildings with explosives,while other soldiers followed them advancing on roofs and on ground floors,simultaneously. This particular tactic has allowed to effectively support the major companies (while they advanced along the major roadways,waging fierce fighting with the enemy),as snipers and enemy units ready for ambushes were surprises before they can attack. Meanwhile air support eliminated the last enemy armored units,and destroyed buildings more defended,also with long rage attacks. The artillery instead had the important task to clear the roads from the barricades with powerful fire power. In this way,European and Allied forces liberated every single neighborhood,converged on the main objectives of the area and conquered them,then proceeding to the subsequent zones.
In this way the city was put to fire and sword,and the enemy were driven from the outskirts,then from the suburban areas,then from metropolitan areas. At this point,what was left of the enemy chief of staff is finally collapsed: the actions of the individual units loyalist were taken on spontaneous initiative of their commanding officers,given that the orders did not come over, the chain of command had disappeared. Then many enemies have surrendered,many others have chosen to fight,holed up in the city center,home of government and financial districts. But the lack of ammunition and supplies was felt. Europeans and Allies,by applying the same tactics of fighting house to house,have further eroded the land in the hands of enemies. Virtually the entire city was conquered (Allied and European forces also started the stabilization and security),there are only a few pockets of resistance,completely uncoordinated with each other,weary and tired. One of these last pockets is the headquarters of the central government, in which the intelligence believes there is also Snow. Losses were very heavy for enemies,but given the extreme cruelty of the fighting,there were low not even for the Allies.
But this battle will go down in history also as the revenge of "Ariete",since all units defeated in the first battle of District 6 (including the "Ariete" Tank Division,that in the clash that has lost an entire Brigade,the 132nd "Ariete" Tank Brigade),took part in the assault on the city. This on the explicit request of all the soldiers belonging to those units,that have refused the well-deserved permission to leave,and demanded to continue to fight,eager to redeem thair honor and avenge the fallen comrades. Indeed,these units have led the assault,and have obtained the most brilliant achievements in the field. In short,the honor of the European soldiers was redeemed.
BREAKING NEWSONE LAST FINAL EFFORTEuropean and Allied special forces lead the assault that ends the war
European soldiers of Task Force 45,near dictatorial government HQ,perhaps from 9th Airborne Assault Regiment "Col Moschin" (European Army Special Forces)
For several hours European and Allied forces had closed the last remaining enemies in different pockets of resistance,represented by individual buildings or small groups of structures,simply rejecting any counterattacks and observe the movements inside. One of these is just the headquarters of dictatorial governmeny,surrounded by a large Allied force,where reliable intelligence sources say that there is also Snow. Official sources confirm that in the area were gathering Special Forces from all nations involved.
Now,various operational reports say that,a few minutes ago,it was concluded that the raid should have led to the elimination of the last enemy resistance,to the capture of government leaders,including Snow,and then at the end of the war. The precise details of the operation aren't known,but all sources agree that the attack was carried out very quickly,with great lethality and exceptional efficiency: all the soldiers,from every nation, showed great professionalism and preparation. Thanks to that,according to sources,there were no losses by European or Allies,while it seems that the loyalist elite guard was decimated. It was a blitz in classic style. Before the various artillery positions,strategically placed around the building,teams of fast and powerful attack helicopters and the New Zealand C-130 have opened fire on the main defenses,internal and external. So the individual teams of Special Forces penetrated the building from several points: some fireteams were lowered by helicopter on the roof,and proceeded to the attack on the upper floors. Sharpshooters,meanwhile,provided important cover fire. At that point the unit proceeded to free the building room by room,floor by floor,following precise operational plans,according to the usual tactics for a blitz that has to be efficient and fast at the same time. It seems that the team that has directly attacked the office of Snow, then capturing the dictator,was composed of soldiers from the Special Forces of all the nations involved: the best warriors in the world.
The 150 men strong assault unit,led by the United States of Europe Special Operations Command,consists of: Havok Squad (NZDF), The MTFs (Planita), First Echelon (Eurasian Special Forces), ARROW Enforcers (Antanares), OMNI Alpha Squadron (New Tarajan) and Task Force 45 (Europe,includes chosen soldiers from all Army,Navy,Air Force and Marines Special Forces commands).
Upon the identification of prisoners is still in progress,but it seems clear that Snow was captured. Some say that after the blitz in his office,he has delivered spontaneously to Allies. Other sources claim that he was shot in the legs by Special Forces soldiers,to prevent he would kill himself with a gunshot. Still others say that he tried to escape,but he was immediately immobilized by Allied soldiers. However,now the latest enemy units that still resisted have surrendered,and the flags of all the nations involved,of UPS,of SECURS and of Atanosia,now waving on government building. The war is won.